Time management has become an increasingly crucial skill for accountants to adopt. When clients are able to contact you at a moment’s notice through a multitude of channels, being able to adapt on the go means setting boundaries and being proactive when managing your time. This skill isn’t just important when dealing with clients. Nurturing your staff’s management competence, creating healthy work/life balance within your workplace, and ensuring lower rates of burnout all fall under the time management umbrella.
Whether you’re a known procrastinator, or you’re just looking to brush up on how to better manage the time you have in the working day, fostering these skills can mean the difference between overwhelm and professional success. If you’re finding there isn’t enough time in the day to complete your tasks, we’ve got some tried and true methods available to help you create a cohesive flow designed to ease burnout and allow you to focus on running an accounting firm set up for success.
The best place to begin is to set out realistic timelines for your client. If you have a habit of over-promising and under-delivering, the professional trust is at risk of being broken. In order to maintain a solid relationship with your clients, you should communicate clearly regarding your timelines so you’re able to provide transparent timelines at the beginning of a new project.
Don’t be afraid to reach out if those expectations change too. A client will appreciate it if you're able to provide an update as it shows that you’re managing not only your own, but their time effectively. Being able to lead with transparency is key. Honesty and humility are the key to managing client expectations while allowing you to produce high quality work that doesn’t seem rushed.
If you’re finding that you and your staff are completely overwhelmed with compliance work, there are companies available to help take the strain from your workload. Outsourcing accountancy companies that are well-versed within the industry, and tailored to your own processes can be the key to creating healthy time management practices.
Companies who are secure, hold industry credibility, have proven systems for seamless integration of your workflow, and have a well-trained and talented staff allow for you to be able gain more time for your business. If you’re finding that business advisory services are in demand, this could be a great option so you can put more time back into your firm and foster its future success.
Any successful accountant will try to make sure their client has access to the full suite of their services, however this can make time management increasingly difficult. If your focus is to create services of the highest quality, there has to be room to decrease the quantity of which you output. Saying ‘no’ is an everyday practice for most individuals and is an essential phrase when creating a successful business.
It’s integral to be able to recognise when you’re being stretched too thin, and learning how to work the word ‘no’ into your vocabulary is the first step when managing your time. The delivery and timing of this phrase is imperative. It’s always best to have an alternative solution for your client which can be accessed through your network of trusted businesses. Perhaps you have a client who is looking to remortgage their home. Direct them to a mortgage broker who you’ve worked with before. Not only will you strengthen bonds within your network, but you will gain time that is best spent on your speciality.
There are a wealth of applications and software available to allow for better time management for both you and your staff. From task management, communication tools, time keeping and reporting software, and online meeting tools - the options are endless (and worth it).
Xero is a popular and sleek piece of software that allows for time tracking, cash flow optimisation, and intuitive admin. Asana can help you manage the tasks within your workplace, showing you how your staff are keeping up with the tasks of the day. Harvest is a time tracking and invoicing tool designed for accountants to manage expenses and reports. There are multiple technological opportunities that exist and are designed to maximise your time while tracking your progress.
